Mary Prescott presents Tida—an interdisciplinary performance examining intergenerational cultural identity through the artist’s maternal lineage. Integrating music, dance, and word, Prescott investigates her mother’s undocumented Thai ancestry, her experience as a Southeast Asian immigrant raising biracial children in Midwest America, and the resulting impact of these histories on her, her daughters, and granddaughters.
“Tida is an exploration of my unknown personal history, which I have been researching through my maternal ancestry, and my Mom’s experience as a Thai immigrant who raised a biracial family in Minneapolis.
It comforts me, when I miss my Mom the most or when I just need relief from loneliness, to cook food that tastes like hers. Although by now she makes a lot of delicious American dishes, her superb Thai food is what has always stood out. It is home food, simple and delicious, and the flavors are uniquely hers. When I make it (although mine never tastes quite the same as hers), it still brings me back into her kitchen where I am together with family, cared for and content.
Since COVID prevents us from gathering in-person for the performance, I thought I would find a way for us to connect that is just as physical, sensory and special as sharing a space with one another. So, I invite you to make one of my Mom’s easiest and coziest recipes, Thai Rice Soup, to eat while you watch the show! It really is easy, and you might even already have many of the ingredients you’ll need in your kitchen. It is the taste of my home, my culture, and my comfort. And through this simple dish, we can share the experience of a performance and a meal together.”
For the full recipe and story behind Mary’s Mom’s Thai Rice Soup, visit the blog post here.
Tida will be presented virtually and available for free on a variety of streaming platforms. Roulette’s theater is currently closed for public performances as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the safety measures that Roulette has put in place to keep staff, artists, and the public safe.
Mary Prescott is a Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, composer and pianist based in Minneapolis and New York City who explores the foundations and facets of identity and social conditions through experiential performance. She aims to foster understanding and create pathways for change by voicing emotional and human truths through artistic investigation and dissemination. Prescott’s output includes several large-scale interdisciplinary works, improvised music, an immersive multimedia chamber opera, a 365-day sound journal, solo and chamber concert music. Prescott is a Resident Artist at Roulette Intermedium (NYC), a Lanesboro Arts Artist-in-Residence (MN), and a 2019-21 The American Opera Project Composers and the Voice Fellow. She has previously held residencies at Hudson Hall, Areté Venue and Gallery, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and Arts Letters and Numbers. She is an awardee of a National Performance Network Creation Fund, and the Documentation and Storytelling Grant supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts; a New Music USA Project Grant; an American Composers Forum Create Commission supported by the Jerome Foundation; and several state and regional awards. She has been commissioned by Roulette Intermedium (NYC), Living Arts (Tulsa), Public Functionary (Minneapolis), Shepherdess Duo, Piano Teachers Congress of NY, and Duo Harmonia.
Tida is co-commissioned by Roulette Intermedium, American Composers Forum, National Performance Network, Living Arts of Tulsa, and Public Functionary; made possible with funding from New Music USA, NYSCA, The Jerome Foundation, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts.
